Tech

Are You Safe From Cybercrime?

In our Cybercrime Series, presented by Norton, Mashable explores some of the web's greatest security breaches. From celebrity hacks to mobile hacks to Facebook hacks — these anecdotes will remind why it's always good to use protection, and that rock-solid passwords and two-factor authentication are the first step toward security.

Take a look at the summaries below and click through to read the whole article. You'll be glad you did.

A Ponemon Institute survey of 583 U.S. companies found 90% had been hacked in the past 12 months. Of those companies, most admitted their networks had been breached more than once, and more than half expressed little to no confidence that they could ward off such attacks in the future.

In this stunning infographic, we tell you about password security, how cybercrime rates vary by country and calculate the financial costs of cybercrime.

A good password is crucial, and the owners of six million leaked LinkedIn passwords learned that the hard way last summer, when the social network fell victim to a large-scale hack. And LinkedIn isn't the only site that's been compromised — Pinterest and Facebook have also been compromised. What went wrong?

Celebrities live in the public eye, and though they're overexposed as it is, some hackers try to expose a bit more. The way you store your information and even the security questions you answer can put you at risk.

See what you can do to protect your devices and accounts so you don't become the next Paris Hilton or Scarlett Johansson.

Data breaches happen almost daily, and while they can affect the individuals and businesses, they can also transform the security industry altogether. And sometimes, they can even influence legislation.

"Security breaches are relatively immeasurable, but the economic impact is small compared to the loss of confidence in security from the populace and from customers," Carl Herberger of security solutions company Radware, told Mashable.

With smartphone penetration hovering at 50%, the biggest threat to security could be in the palm of your hand. In fact, 40% of U.S. mobile users will click on an unsafe link this year, and the biggest vulnerability is related to apps. “While mobile hacks can happen in any number of ways, one of the most common access points is through insecure apps,” Zach Lanier, researcher at Veracode, told Mashable.

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